Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Monthly Archives: February 2014

Christ Church and East White Oak Bible Church are pleased to host respected singer/songwriter, Bible teacher and author Michael Card for the Biblical Imagination Conference Matthew: The Gospel of Identity on April 25-26, and concert on April 27. The conference will be held at Christ Church in Normal, and the concert at East White Oak Bible Church in Carlock.

Please share this on your personal Facebook sites and encourage your friends to attend. If you have any questions, or need additional information, please contact Bill Pence at (309) 452-5438 or bntpence@msn.com

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As I near my graduation from Covenant Seminary, I am revisiting a few of my assignments (papers, etc.) that I completed. Below is a paper I wrote on B.B. Warfield 2010 for Carl Trueman’s course on Warfield. https://coramdeotheblog.com/warfield-paper/

Leadership Library – From Ken Blanchard to John Wooden, from being a Quiet introvert to being a StandOut and everything in between, we have lots of new leadership book reviews for you to peruse and enjoy.

My good friend Dr. Neil Skaggs will be presenting “Prelude to Wilberforce: Christian Men & Women that Changed Britain” Friday, March 7 at the Ithaka Fellowship. Please do not hesitate to RSVP. Space is limited to the first sixty people. Coffee and dessert will be served at 7 PM. For directions or more information go to www.IthakaFellowship.org or contact Duane at duaneotto@mac.com.

Ligonier Ministries recently introduced the Ligonier Interview Archives, a new podcast. The weekly podcast highlights interviews from the archives on a variety of products. You can subscribe in iTunes.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand is one of my favorite books of the past few years. Here’s the trailer for the film version, which will open Christmas Day: Unbroken

Dr. Ben Carson’s new book is One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future, and it will be published May 20.

Eric Metaxas, an excellent biographer, has filmed a Four-part Small Group Video Curriculum on Bonhoeffer! It was shot it on location, mostly in Germany, but in Poland too. Metaxas talks about Bonhoeffer while sitting at his desk in the very bedroom in Berlin where he lived and was arrested, and in the backyard of that home where the gas cannisters were buried, which contained his famous Letters and Papers from Prison. He visits the site of Finkenwalde, now just over the border in Poland, and visits the gorgeous Igel Fraternity in Tübingen where he and his father were members. He even goes inside Tegel prison, which is still operating as a prison, virtually unchanged from Bonhoeffer’s time there. It will be demolished later this year. Here is a link to the first video, which you can watch in its entirety, to get a taste of the whole. And here’s a short trailer. To purchase the DVDs & Study Guide from CBD.com, click here. To purchase from Amazon, click here. To purchase from BN.com, click here.

Did you see the season finale of Downton Abbey? If so, what did you think? It’s one of our favorite shows, but as I think about it, it’s a show that is almost completely devoid of evidence of faith in the life of any of the characters.

The new film Son of God will open nationwide on Friday, February 28.

Neon Steeple, the first solo album from David Crowder, now known as Crowder, will be released May 27.

NEEDTOBREATHE has announced dates for the first leg of the “Rivers in the Wasteland World Tour. Frecently announced tour dates. They will be at the Pageant in St. Louis June 13 and the House of Blues in St. Louis June 14 and 15. For more information, go to www.NEEDTOBREATHE.com

Peter Furler, the talented former lead singer of the Newboys, will release Sun and Shield on March 11.

Time is like a river. You cannot touch the water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again. Enjoy every moment of life.
As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper’s cemetery in the Nova Scotia back country.
As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn’t stop for directions.
I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late.
I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I’ve never played before for this homeless man.
And as I played “Amazing Grace”, the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head was hung low, my heart was full.
As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, “I never seen nothing like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”
Apparently I’m still lost….it’s a man thing.

Just a reminder that “early bird” pricing for the Biblical Imagination Conference on Matthew and Michael Card’s concert is available only through February 25.

Christ Church and East White Oak Bible Church are pleased to host respected singer/songwriter, Bible teacher and author Michael Card for the Biblical Imagination Conference Matthew: The Gospel of Identity on April 25-26, and concert on April 27. The conference will be held at Christ Church in Normal, and the concert at East White Oak Bible Church in Carlock.

Steven Lawson’s latest book is The Evangelistic Zeal of George Whitfield. It is part of the Long Line of Godly Men Profiles series.

“Alone Yet Not Alone”, the Joni Eareckson Tada song that had been nominated for an Oscar but then had the nomination revoked because of rules violations, is number one on the iTunes Christian and Gospel charts and #81 overall as of this writing.

The Peter Furler Band (former lead singer of the Newsboys) will release Sun and Shield on March 11.

The live album from the Passion 2014 conference will be released April 29.

Michael W. Smith’s new album, Sovereign, will be released May 13

U2 will perform their Oscar-nominated song Ordinary Love live for the first time on the Academy Award telecast on March 2.

I’m a huge Beatles fan. They are my favorite band (followed in order by U2, Switchfoot and Jars of Clay). I remember watching my Aunt Linda screaming at the TV in her parents (my grandparents) living room in Chicago as the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1963. The surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr appeared together twice recently, the below picture being from a celebration that took place on the 50th anniversary of their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show February 9, 1964.

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New Page: I Peter Paper ~ As I near my graduation from Covenant Seminary, I am revisiting a few of my assignments (papers, etc.) that I completed. Below is a paper I wrote on 1 Peter in 2008 for Dr. Chapman’s New Testament History and Theology course. Thanks to friend and fellow elder Don Lusk for his review of my original paper and his helpful suggestions. (For this version, I have removed the footnoting to make reading easier).

Favorites! Page has been updated – send us a comment with your favorites.

Book Reviews ~ Romans 1-7 For You: For reading, for feeding, for leading (God’s Word for You) by Timothy Keller

New to the Leadership Library ~ Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain.

• Jeremiah 29:11 is a precious verse to many: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” So how can Gentile John Piper, or any of us, lay claim to this hopeful promise made to Israel, God’s covenant people? Pastor John explains in this 3-minute video.

• Michael W. Smith returns with his first new music in some time. His new “You Won’t Let Go” became available on iTunes on February 4. As of February 5, the single was #2 on the Christian charts. A new album is due in May.

• Congratulations to Andy Mineo for his new EP Never Land charting at #1 n iTunes Hip-Hop/Rap charts. His single, “You Can’t Stop Me”, is currently #27 on the Hip-Hop/Rap singles chart, one of the few songs listed without an “Explicit” warning. Well done Andy!

Illinois State University Men’s Basketball Coach Dan Muller will be the featured speaker at the annual Laymen’s Lenten Breakfast to be held at Second Presbyterian Church on April 2. This is an event that my Dad, brother and I have enjoyed over the years. Read more here: http://www.ibfoundation.org/#!__mens-lenten-breakfast

The film version of the excellent book Unbroken, written by Laura Hillenbrand, will be released Christmas Day. The film will be directed by Angelina Jolie and the screenplay will be done by Ethan and Joel Coen. Unbroken tells the incredible life story of Louis Zamperini. Jack O’Connell will star as Zamperini in the film.

When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert is the free audiobook of the month from Christianaudio.com. The central point of the book is to provide proven strategies that challenge Christians to help the poor empower themselves. David Platt, author of Radical, states: “Simply put, I have never read a better book on practically serving the poor, and I pray that God will use this new edition to equip his people to accomplish His purposes in a world or urgent spiritual and physical need for the glory of His great name.” To download your copy of the book, go to http://christianaudio.com/free/?utm_source=HomePage&utm_medium=InternalBanner&utm_campaign=CAFreeBook

Congratulations to Casting Crowns, whose new album Thrive, debuted at #2 on the iTunes charts January 28. Jamie Grace’s new released Ready to Fly debuted at #14.

Ligonier Ministries has released a new teaching series from Derek Thomas The Pilgrim’s Progress: A Guided Tour. Here’s a description:

The Pilgrim’s Progress, written by John Bunyan over 300 years ago, is one of the most widely-circulated books ever to be published in the English language. In spite of its popularity in the past, many people today are not familiar with this masterpiece. Join Dr. Derek Thomas as he leads a guided tour of this allegorical work, showing that Christians have as much to gain from this book today as they did hundreds of years ago.

We reported recently about the surprise Oscar nomination for best song the title song for little known faith-based film “Alone Yet Not Alone”, sung by Joni Eareckson Tada. Unbelievably, the nomination has been revoked. Read more here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/la-et-mn-alone-yet-not-alone-oscar-nomination-revoked-20140129,0,1430899.story Joni’s response was gracious. She wrote: “The decision by the academy to rescind the nomination may well bring even further attention [to the song], and I only hope it helps to further extend the message and impact of the song. Regarding the reasons for the nomination being rescinded, it is not my place to speculate as I have no insights into the workings of the entertainment industry. I was honored to be invited to sing the song and it will always be a treasured experience.”

The 2014 Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology will have a theme of “Profaning the Sacred: The Beauty and Holiness of the Bride of Christ”. The conference speakers will be Jason Helopoulos (MI), Michael Horton (PA), Phillip Johnson, Richard Phillips and Derek Thomas (PA). The Pre-Conference theme will be “The Holiness of the Office of the Pastor”, with speakers Phillip Johnson & Richard Phillips (MI) and Derek Thomas (PA). The closest conference location will be the Bryon Center First Christian Reformed Church in Bryon Center, Michigan March 28-30. For more information, go to: http://www.alliancenet.org/CC_Content_Page/0,,PTID307086_CHID568266_CIID,00.html

Here’s the last installment of funny John Piper quotes from a blogger: Good Piper Quotes.

And speaking of U2, it has been announced that they will be Jimmy Fallon’s first musical guest when he takes over the Tonight Show on February 17. Here are the lyrics to their new single “Invisible”, which is free on iTunes until 11:59pm Monday, February 3:

It’s like the room just cleared of smoke
I didn’t even want the heart you broke
It’s yours to keep
You just might need one

I finally found my real name
I won’t be me when you see me again
No, I won’t be my father’s son

I’m more than you know
I’m more than you see here
More than you let me be
I’m more than you know
A body in a soul
You don’t see me but you will
I am not invisible

That’s right
I’ll be in the invisible world

I don’t dream, not as such
I don’t even think about you that much
Unless I start to think at all

All those frozen days
And your frozen ways
They melt away your face like snow

I’m more than you know
I’m more than you see here
I’m more than you let me be
I’m more than you know
A body in a soul
You don’t see me but you will
I am not invisible
I am here

There is no them
There is no them
There’s only us
There’s only us
There is no them
There is no them
There’s only us
There’s only us
There is no them
There is no them
There’s only you
And there’s only me
There is no them

Tim Keller’s new book on Romans is his third in the series from The Good Book Company, with Galatians and Judges preceding this volume. The new book covers chapters 1-7 of Romans and will be released February 4.

Surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr reunited at the Grammy Awards on McCartney’s new song “Queenie Eye”. In addition, McCartney won four Grammy Awards for:

‘Best Rock Song’ for ‘Cut Me Some Slack’ which he co-wrote with Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear.

‘Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package’ for last year’s Wings over America re-issue.

‘Best Surround Sound Album’ for Live Kisses.

‘Best Music Film’ for Live Kisses.

Paul was also honored in an award recognizing The Beatles’ contribution to popular music brings his GRAMMY tally up to five awards, his biggest win ever at the ceremony!

Quotable:

You are always on duty in the Christian life, you can never relax. There is no such thing as a holiday in the spiritual realm. -Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God. -John Piper